A significant problem in the construction of rail systems for railroads is in the joining of individual rail sections to form the track. Previous systems utilize standard thirty-nine foot rail lengths assembled together in linear alignment where the rails have slight gaps therebetween providing for thermal expansion and contraction thereof and are joined by pairs of splice plates bolted through the sides of the rail webs and resting upon base plates; the webs having longitudinal slots receiving the bolts to allow for displacement of the rails relative to their length due to such thermal expansion and contraction. The joined rail unit is secured to a crosstie between the rail and the ground using a set of spikes driven through the base plates into the ties with an upper end or head contacting the edge of a spike base to hold the rail flush against an aligning spike plate disposed between the rail base and the tie surface.
More modern practices of installing railroad track is to utilize extended rail lengths instead of the standard thirty-nine foot lengths. The butt ends of the rail sections are 100% welded together and the "ball" or top cross section of the joined rails is ground flush to preserve the original rail profile and thereby assure smooth and continuous running of the wheels of the engines and railroad cars without interference by any joint imperfections. The welds joining the rail sections together cost approximately $80.00 or more for each weld; and before actual welding takes place, the rail sections must be heated to above the anticipated maximum temperature which will eventually happen naturally due to the combination of strong sun and ambient temperature. The sum of all welds and rail sections serves to equal a continuous, single piece of track which is designed to be under unending, permanent tension.
It appears that the combination of friction and a suitable type of anchoring at the track junctions or "turnouts" must prevent shrinkage in cold weather; otherwise the gapping between the rail lengths would become intolerable when the wheels had to pass over the gaps of the rails ends of such junctions. This arrangement involves a substantial investment in special welding equipment.
Dynamics of railroad stock running over the rails include "side sway" which results from imperfections in the parallelism of the tracks. When the track is laid, imperfections are present in both parallelism and level coordination and, to overcome this, the wheels are shaded with a conical diameter blending with a radiused fillet extending into a radial flange. The radius has a dynamic "climb" aspect so the wheel has to climb when swaying against the inside of the rail on that side of the tracks. The resulting rise of the climbing aspect causes the wheel, and the vehicle/car, back toward the center of the tracks. The shift continues until the opposite wheel sends it back, like a pendulum. The conical aspect of the wheel causes a general attitude of allowing the overall mass to find the lowest point to accommodate the center of gravity. Motion of the train generates the energy causing the side shift.
Since the center of gravity of the train is shifted by the combination of track imperfections, the train cars/wheels are unceasingly and chaotically seeking the lowest center of gravity. One result of this shift or sway is the side load exerted against the "ball" or top of the rail which bends the track outwardly. Special tools are made ant required for the straightening of the rails to the original track specifications, which are still imperfect. Sometimes the rail bend is so extensive, combined with wear and brinnelling, that such sections of track have to be replaced. To replace a section of welded track requires cutting out that section and fitting in a new matching piece, welding the two resulting joints and grinding to "smooth form". This section apparently must also be heated to fill the gap and also compensate for the "tension shrink" of the now loose two ends.
Another problem which is found overseas on the continent is differences in the rail gauges of different countries. Thus, when crossing the border between Spain and France, riders previously had to leave one train and get on another. To overcome that problem, a device was designed which shifts wheels from one gauge to another as the train moves. This device takes the weight off the wheels, pulls down on wheel-locking pins, exerts pressure to move the wheels sideways, and finally locks the pins at the new gauge.
A particular problem associated with the gaps between the rail sections is the considerable loss of ride smoothness. This smoothness of ride is critical in very high speed train applications, and may be a significant concern in passenger transport, especially in the case of bullet trains in Japan and currently under consideration in the United States and other countries. The present invention overcomes this problem and enhances the ride smoothness of the train.